That Estonia is among the top NATO member states in terms of defense contributions gives the country a disproportionately strong voice when advocating with member states of that organization and of the European Union for defense spending, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas (Reform) said Monday. Speaking to “Välisilm,” the prime ministerContinue Reading
Norway will finance the production of Ukrainian weapons and military equipment, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov revealed following high-level meetings in Oslo with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram on November 15. “Norway will join the ‘Danish model’ of support—direct financing of production in Ukraine. This will accelerate the manufacturing andContinue Reading
Incoming US president Donald Trump wants to end the war in Ukraine soon, possibly even before stepping into office, Alexander Stubb said in an interview with the Bloomberg news agency. “I think his [Trump’s] agenda is quite clear. He talks about ending the war in Ukraine.” According to Stubb, Trump’sContinue Reading
Many former high-ranking military officers are moving into prominent defense sector roles as the sector grows. Retired or reservist, senior military officers have transitioned into roles within defense industry companies, a trend partly attributed to the significant growth of the defense market, according to security expert Meelis Oidsalu, who wasContinue Reading
The state is ramping up efforts to detect and counter drones along Estonia’s eastern border and around its major towns and critical or sensitive infrastructure zones. With a hostile eastern neighbor using drone tech more and more, not only for hybrid activities but for criminal activities such as smuggling, aContinue Reading
The deployment of North Korean units on the Ukrainian frontline will not lead to major changes for the time being and they will in all likelihood suffer heavy losses, said Col. Ants Kiviselg, head of the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) Intelligence Center. However, Russian forces still hold the initiative inContinue Reading
The navy also provided insight into the preparations required to enable a submarine – particularly an SSK – to conduct such adeployment. Preparations included capability augmentations, mission planning, and logistics. The Portuguese Navy’s Type 209PN Tridente-class SSK NRP Arpão conducted a 70-day deployment from home to the Arctic. Under OperationContinue Reading
Since joining Nato, Finland has continued to reject extradition requests from Turkey. Turkey has submitted six extradition requests to Finland since the country joined Nato in April 2023. Of these, four have been processed and rejected by the Finnish Ministry of Justice. The details were obtained by Yle through aContinue Reading
Sweden has officially decided to join the European Long Range Strike Approach (ELSA) initiative. The announcement was made following a recent meeting of NATO defence ministers, during which Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson signed a letter of intent formalizing Sweden’s participation in the European missile development project. “The war inContinue Reading
Norway and Germany have proposed the creation of Critical Undersea Infrastructure (CUI) Hubs to bolster NATO’s role in safeguarding vital energy and communication infrastructure across Europe’s maritime areas. The two nations suggested establishing CUI Hubs in five maritime regions: the Baltic Sea, North Sea, Atlantic, Mediterranean Sea, and Black Sea.Continue Reading